Out There guide: How to survive and succeed in the harshness of space

Mi-Clos Studios’ beautiful, forlorn space exploration game for iOS and Android is a mobile gem, sitting atop the App and Play Store rubble of dime-a-dozen card battlers, energy-dependent puzzlers, and one-tap wonders. Out There is mechanically similar to another indie space adventure hit, FTL, but whereas FTL is more about battling seemingly every species in the known universe, Out There focuses on the isolation of space and the meager resources available needed to survive. Both games are harsh and unforgiving, but the desperation of Out There is a little more manageable, and a handful of tips and tricks will help ensure a safe journey through the void.

Switch ships

When encountering abandoned ships hidden within solar systems, you’re given the option to load what resources you can into the new ship and make it your new vessel. Often, the new ship will provide some sort of upgrade, such as better pre-installed systems or more storage. However, another important bonus is that each abandoned ship comes with full fuel, oxygen, and hull — the three resources that, when depleted, guarantee a game over.

Remember, your previous ships’ upgrades won’t carry over to the new one, so make sure you dismantle them and bring the salvaged resources with you. Alternatively, if you find a new ship but don’t want to switch, you can break down that ship’s systems and carry them over to your current ship.

Game over man, game over.

Carefully consider your course

The star map has a number of dead ends, depending on the types of upgrades your ship has (more power means you can jump longer distances between stars). New technology is difficult to find, so make sure you look ahead and plot your course, or else you’ll end up in a dead end. It’s possible to double back, except you already mined the previous solar systems for resources so you’ll very quickly run out. The star map is the same every time, so if you pay attention, you can avoid some of those pesky dead ends.

Hold your gold

Gold (Au) is a rare and extremely useful resource as you progress. If you happen to find some, try your best to keep it because just one or two units will enable you to build some great tech. Of course, don’t hold onto the gold if it’s a matter of life and death.

Helium tank

Hydrogen (H) is the more common of the two types of fuel, and it adds two fuel per one hydrogen. Helium (He), however, adds four fuel per helium unit, and is more rare. If you’re running out of storage space and have to decide between the two, do the math, and see if it’s worth keeping your reserve of helium or hydrogen.

Stay out of the sun

Almost every solar system has a sun, whether or not there are planets, space stations, or anything else available. You can go to the sun, as they’re a source of fuel, but they will severely damage your hull, and if you don’t have an Ultra Probe installed, you can’t gather the resources anyway. Don’t travel to a sun unless you have that Ultra Probe and a hefty amount of iron in order to make repairs.

If you have the proper technology installed on your ship, you can use black holes as warp points around the universe.

Fear the dark

Don’t chance traveling to a black hole if you are low on resources, as they tend to be empty solar systems. You’ll most likely have spent your precious resources to travel to a place where you can’t refill them.

Iron supplement

If you manage your fuel responsibly, most deaths will come from surprise hits to your hull. You want to try to keep your hull health above 42*, which means regular usage of iron (Fe). Iron also repairs your basic systems, such as your drill (which lets you mine for metals like iron) and probe (which lets you explore for fuel like hydrogen). You’ll want to keep just a little bit of iron handy just in case something breaks — there spare units should do.

*When playing I’ve seen the damage from going to a gas planet be up to 41, but that’s a worst case scenario. A more common, but still very serious hit would be in the mid-30s. I haven’t computed an average damage numbers but my guess is that it would be in the mid-teens.

Lucky number 7

When you drill and probe, you have a meter that can go from one to 10, limited by how much fuel you can spend. Seven is the optimal number, as it’s the level right before the chance of your drill or probe breaking skyrockets. If you have spare iron around to fix broken systems, you can chance the higher numbers — they return more resources — but make sure you portion your iron responsibly.

Occasionally, if you drill deep enough, you will find pockets of fuel! It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does happen it’s a major bonus. If you go deep enough, you’ll also generally find more than the four iron you need to rebuild the drill, but as always, be careful.

An alien encounter. Throughout the adventure you translate bits and pieces of alien languages until you fully understand what they say, which often nets you bonus resources or technology.

Play, then work

When you arrive at a garden planet, you’re presented with the normal options of drilling and taking off. However, you’ll receive a new, third option for meeting with alien life. Make sure to meet with the alien life before you drill. If you drill first, you’ll lose the option to meet with the aliens, and meeting with the aliens often returns resources and technology.

Omega Watch

Sometimes, an alien will give you an Omega resource. Omega works as a universal consumable — it will increase your fuel, oxygen, or hull. It’s also a consumable that allows you to travel between black holes, which act as warp points around the map.

Live to die another day

If you’re having a really successful run, make sure to flee from all of the random and optional events you’re presented with each time you jump to a new solar system. Positive gains are often the result of pursuing an optional event, but some harsh punishments are also the result. If you’re doing well, there’s no reason to risk, for example, losing half your resources on a whim.

There are a few endings in Out There, and while following the above tips won’t completely guarantee that you’ll see them, it will at least greatly increase the possibility. Regardless, there is still a factor of random chance, but it’s mostly manageable. Remember, Out There is an atmospheric experience as much as it is as space adventure. If at any point you’re becoming frustrated, follow the above tips, plug in some headphones to take in the beautiful audio, shut off the lights to admire the artwork, and relax.